Loading Events

« All Events

Underground queer comedy SCARECROW IN A GARDEN OF CUCUMBERS (1972) starring trans icon Holly Woodlawn

April 23 : 7:00 pm 9:00 pm

“A fascinating time capsule of queer art and culture in the early 1970s. It fits right in with John Waters’ filmography and Rocky Horror.” – Dirty Movies

Trans icon (and Warhol superstar) Holly Woodlawn plays Eve Harrington, a small-town girl from Kansas who tries to make it big — or at least find a roommate — in New York in this long-lost madcap movie musical extravaganza from filmmaker Robert J. Kaplan. Along the way she’ll get tangled up with everyone from wrestlers to crunchy granola lesbians on her way-too-relevant quest to find secure housing.

One of the very first films to be built around a trans actor, Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers is a comedic tour-de-force for Woodlawn, then fresh off of making Trash and Women in Revolt! for Paul Morrissey. With a memorable supporting performance from fellow Warhol Superstar Tally Brown as Mary Poppins and voice cameos from the likes of Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, this should’ve become a huge midnight movie sensation but instead faded into obscurity and has sat unseen for the past 50 years. Its recent rediscovery and restoration by the Academy Film Archive is cause for celebration — and a timely reminder that trans people have always been on the screen.

Restoration courtesy of the Academy Film Archive and the American Genre Film Archive.

Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and DoesTheDogDie.com, as well as through general internet searches.